Texas Man Spends 10 Years in Prison for Rape and a Name

James Curtis Giles spent 10 years in prison for rape. In the end, his name is what gave him a prison sentence. The case is still ongoing and although it's clear that Giles is innocent, will the justice system fail him again?How the Nightmare Began

The year was 1982 in North Dallas when three men broke into the home that was occupied by an 18 year old pregnant woman, her husband and a friend. The three men gang raped the female victim before robbing her husband and leaving.

The police were able to quickly arrest Stanley G. Bryant and once in police custody he pointed fingers and said that two other teens he called Michael and James also took part in the rape. Bryant had said that the two teens lived nearby the scene of the rape and they also lived close to each other.

James Curtis Giles was no teenager in 1982. He would have been roughly 25 years old at the very least. Regardless of that fact, police got him out of bed with his wife in the middle of the night and James Curtis Giles' nightmare began.

He proclaimed his innocence but was picked out of a lineup by the victim. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison but Mr. Giles was released on probation in 1993, will have to register as a sex offender for life and will be on parole until 2013.

The Cover Up

When District Attorney Craig Watkins became the first black district attorney and he first took office he made a pledge to free every innocent man and woman in prison. The Lawyers with the Innocence Project began to look into James Curtis Giles' case and it was not hard to see that he was innocent.

An anonymous phone call is what led the police to Stanley G. Bryant. While he gave the names of his accomplices the police looked into the wrong man.

The police should have been looking for James Earl (Quack) Giles who lived right across the street from the rape victim but they instead went 25 miles to James Curtis Giles's home and arrested him. The police now say that it was a case of mistaken identity because the names were identical. However, paperwork showed that police were aware of Quack Giles but chose to ignore him because they already had someone arrested for the crimes.